Page 43 of Villainous Rise

“No.”

His eyes darkened. “Open your fucking mouth.”

“Make me.”

What the fuck was my problem? Why was I antagonizing him?

Cipher’s hand came up to cradle my jaw and his thumb pressed gently against my lower lip. The touch sent electricity skittering across my skin. I hated that my body responded to him so instantly, so completely, when my mind was screaming at me to push him away.

“Last chance,” he murmured.

I kept my lips pressed firmly together, a final act of defiance. His thumb stroked my lip once, twice, and then pressed more insistently.

Cipher picked up a piece of sushi with his free hand and brought it to my lips. “Open.”

My stomach clenched with hunger, and my mouth watered at the proximity of food. I was starving, exhausted, and so tired of fighting him. Fighting myself.

His thumb slipped between my lips, parting them just enough. I could taste the salt of his skin, and something inside me surrendered. My lips parted.

“Good girl,” he whispered, the words ghosting across my skin.

He placed the sushi on my tongue, his fingers lingering a moment too long. I couldn’t look away from his eyes, watching me with an intensity that made my knees weak. I chewed slowly, swallowed, and his gaze tracked the movement of my throat.

His hand remained on my jaw, thumb tracing a path along my cheekbone now. He picked up another piece.

“Again.”

I opened my mouth without protest this time. His fingertips brushed against my lips as he placed the food on my tongue.

I swallowed, and his eyes followed the movement again. His hand slid from my jaw to the nape of my neck, fingers threading through my hair.

“One more,” he said, his voice rougher now.

I took it from his fingers, my lips closing around the tips for just a moment. I heard his sharp intake of breath, felt the slight tightening of his fingers in my hair.

When I finished, I turned my face away, needing to break the spell. “Satisfied?”

His hand dropped away from my neck, and I immediately missed the warmth. “For now.”

I stepped sideways, putting distance between us, trying to ignore how cold I felt without him crowding my space.

“I ate. You can go.”

“Not until you’re finished.”

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered moving to put the island between us again. I picked up my chopsticks and chewed another piece of sushi, the flavors barely registering through my irritation. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“No, you need someone who gives enough of a fuck to make sure you don’t waste away because you’re too stubborn to take care of yourself. Even if that someone is me.”

The sincerity in his voice made something in my chest crack open, a hairline fracture in the wall I’d built between us. I couldn’t meet his eyes.

I stared at the mountain of food he’d laid out instead. It was enough for at least three people, maybe four. The sushi was just the beginning. There were containers of miso soup, tempura vegetables, and what looked like chicken teriyaki.

“You’re not eating?” I asked, gesturing at the spread with my chopsticks.

Cipher shook his head. “Not hungry.”

“So you ordered enough food to feed a small army just for me?” I picked up another piece of sushi, eyeing him suspiciously. “That seems excessive.”